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Post #6: Evolution of Sikhism

1). Briefly discuss the "evolution" of Sikhism from Guru Nanak to present day

2). What does the evolution of this religion tell us about religion in general?

Answer:

Sikhism began in the sixteenth century India with the teachings of Nanak. Since his death there have been nine more human gurus. The principle belief within the Sikhism is faith in one God (who was without a specific form) and the pursuit of salvation through a disciplined from of personal meditation by repeating the name of God. Sikhs have their roots in the traditions of naive Indian concepts such as karma and reincarnation.

Typically history has categorized Sikhism in three key general areas. First was Nanak founding the religion as he brought together Hindu and Muslim ideas. Second key was the turn to militancy as a result of the oppression they faced. Third was the formation of a more orthodox Sikh organization called the Khalsa. However, there are many important changes and developments of the Sikh religion that came as a response to the socio-historical circumstances they faced. In history Sikhism has evolved from a peaceful movement (Sant teachings) to a institution with military concerns and political aims

The Sikhism religion was credited as starting with Nanak. However Nanak had only added his own creative thought to Sant traditions. Angad was the next guru leader succeeding Nanak in which the specific teachings of Nanak were carried on. The next guru leader, Amar Das, however, implemented significant changes. He established caste free dining, which allowed all Sikhs to challenge the social hierarchy of Hindu caste culture. He also set up established certain festivals and rituals, as a way of creating a sense of community for the people. Later as the number of followers grew, Amar Das instituted a form of administration (group leaders/deputies) who became responsible for overseeing locations and or tasks. Amar Das was one of the first to began collecting any sayings from the prior gurus (which became input for the Adi Granth sacred writings.)

Next in line was his son-in-law, Ram Das. Ram set up the city of Amritsar to become the groups center, (this land had been previously granted by the Mughal Emperor Akbar as a sign of peace and respect.) Out of Ram Das' three sons, Ram Das had chosen the youngest, Arjan to lead after his death. This created resentment from his oldest Prithi Chand. In response Prithi decided to develop his own religious writings. Arjan reacted to this by further collecting the govindval pothis and the Adi Granth (sacred book of saying of the Sikh gurus and Sant teachers.) Arjan build the groups first religious site known as the Golden Temple.

During this period the Sikhs began to experience their first strong form of persecution from the Mughal Emprire. Eventually the Mughal Emperor Akbar was succeeded by Jehangir who was extremely intolerant of the Sikhs. His resentment toward them peaked when his son Khusrau, ran away and sought the guidance of Arjan. Akbar has Arjan arrested, however while in custody Arjan died. Thus the Sikhs made Arjan a martyr of the religion.

Arjan's eleven year old son, Har Gobind, became the next successor. Har Gobind organized a first Sikh army signaling the shift in the group from being peaceful into a military force. The use of martial arts by the Sikhs can be traced back to influx of Jats to the religion (Jats were a farming caste with a strong military tradition.) Har Gobind was noted for wearing two swords around his waist, one a sign of temporal and the other for spiritual strength. The next Mughal ruler, Shah Jahan was even more intolerant than Jehangir. Har Gobind and his group then left to seek refuge in the Himalayan foothills.

Har Gobind appointed his second grandson Har Rai to succeed him. During his time the Sikhs were still living in the seclusion and returned to peace. Har Rai five year old son, Har Krishan became the next Sikh leader. Following Har Krishan was Tegh Bahadur. Tegh Bahadur was the grand uncle of Har Krishan. In his time he organized resistance against the then Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb's had a strong determination to exterminate all religions except Islam. Tegh Bahadur was eventually arrested and publicly beheaded. The next leader Gobind Singh was Tegh Bahadur's son. He was only nine when his father was executed. During his reign the Mughal tyranny became too much for the Sikhs to endure and thus felt their duty to fight. Gobind Singh reestablished the martial arts exercises and promoted the utilization of arms to defend themselves. During one of the battles with the Mughals all four of Gobind Singh's sons were killed.

With no family heir left to pass the torch, Gobind passed the role of guru onto the sacred writings themselves. Gobind Singh is also credited with implementing the community of the pure (Khalsa) in 1699. Khalsa members followed a certain code of behavior (no smoking, no eating Muslim hala meat, observe the wearing of the five ks (uncut hair, a comb placed inside the turban, a bracelet, a sword and short cotton briefs.) The five ks gave the Sikhs and important tool for social coheson as they could easily recognize each other while building a feeling of comradeship. Even though Gobind Singh was credited for it the code of behavior actually evolved over three centuries. After Gobind Singh's death Sikhism actually grew larger to that of one of the major world religions today.

Several factors help to explain Sikhism's continuing success. First, Gobind Singh decision to turn the role of guru over to the sacred writings. The writings were now revered as a living guru, a manifestation of God. The writing helped to serve as an inspiration during politically troublesome years. With Mughals still in power, the Sikh resistance continued to grow. Eventually the Mughal Empires was removed by aggressive Afghan invaders. Ahmed Shah Abdail from Afghanistan claimed control of the Punjab and was very antagonistic to the Sikhs. When the Sikhs attacked he retaliated by raiding Armitsar destroying the Golden Temple and defacing the sacred pool. Over time the Afghans were dispelled by Marathas which weakened the central powers creating a political void that the Sikhs came in and filled.

In 1849 the British then gained control in the Punjab region. In 1880 the Singh Sabha movement instituted the orthodox position of the Sikhs. Improvements made by the British (roads, canals, hospitals, schools, etc..) won many Sikhs over to their administration. In 1850 there was some British sentiment which lead to sporadic acts of violence leading to a Mutiny in 1857. However a vast majority of the Sikhs actually sided with the British and even volunteered in the British army. Because the Sikhs were a strong martial race Sikhs were often recruited to the British army and encourages to observe the Khalsa. Thus in a way the British helped crystallize the Sikh identity as the promoted the Khalsa standards in the military along with the use of the title Singh. The advantage of being a Sikh helped keep Sikhs from falling back into Hinduism.

In 1873 the Singh Sabha society was established which led to the rise of the Khalsa Sikhism. This society was organized to revive interest and preserve the identify in the Sikh tradition. The Singh Sabha (later becoming the true Khalsa) institutionalized the view of Sikhism as a separate religion. It requested that Sikhs follow the ways of the Khalsa by wearing the five ks. Via written media it clarified the Sikh ideas which helped to establish the Sikh orthodoxy. British writers pulled their information about the religion from this group which help to further support the movement.

A resistance movement called the Akali Dal started up with the goal of giving the gurdwaras back to the Khalsa Sikhs. About this time the prior Sikh-British relationships strained as Sikh's did not receive aid from the British in a time of plagues and famine. Eventually this lead into an uprising and massacre in 1919 in the city of Amristar. At that time many of the Sikhs decided to take refuge elsewhere ending up in either the US or Canada. Unfortunately the Sikhs face discrimination in America in the late 1800's.

Even with all the turmoil of the past, Sikhism has survived and grown into a major world religion. The evolution of Sikhism tells the story of how religion can generally change peoples views and motivations over time. Mainly religion can start out as a radical movement away from an established philosophy of current religion and culture of the day. Over time however the religion slowly reacts to the changing events of the day and historical happenings. Groups develop new cultural values that bring forth a feeling of belonging or community to individuals, giving one a real sense of identity and purpose as well as becoming part of a group. A religion will often change and redefine its general philosophy over time as it reacts to new ideas or any factors affecting its members.